The Creature Within
by TTFmichael
Summary: The Salvatore School is said to be a school for the gifted. Where everyone can be accepted for what they are, and they don't have to hide their true nature. This is not true for Marek Morrow. He is the son of villains, and there is only one other student that can relate to him. Hope Mikaelson, can they quell the darkness within or will they drown in it?
1. Chapter 1

**CHAPTER 1**

 _This is idiotic. I'm writing my thoughts, in a journal. Mr. Saltzman recommended that it would be a good way to deal with my emotions. He thinks that putting words in a book, is going to help the fact that my parents abandoned me. They dropped me off at this school when I was 7 years old, and never looked back. I hate them. I hate them, so much. They said they would come back for me. They said that they loved me._

 _Here I am, 15 years old and filled with rage. I blame my parents. They were Alphas, but they weren't like the other Werewolves at this school. Every culture has its legends and myths, and everyone at this school seems to be focusing on one part of the larger supernatural picture._

 _My father, Tyl Morrow was a pureblood descendant of Fenrir. The son of Loki and Angrboda, Fenrir was a monstrous wolf. His strength was immense, and he was deemed evil by the gods. He was feared, so the gods did what everyone does when they are fearful. They attacked, they judged, and they wrote their own story._

 _My mother, Sophie Dux was the Alpha of a pack known as the Necos. The Necos were a pack known for showing no mercy towards their enemies. They forced people into their pack to become the strongest pack. From what I've heard, my mother personally assimilated close to 100 packs._

 _This made me a certain type of freak, that Mr. Saltzman knew nothing about. Or as the other students like to say, a monster. It's funny. Even amongst a school full of monsters, I stand out above the others._

 _This school teaches that Werewolves were created from a cursed bloodline, and while that may be true for some. It is not true for me. I've been doing some research, into my history. My parents were said to be the epitome of evil, much like another student that has been here just as long as me._

 _Hope Mikaelson, the daughter of Niklaus Mikaelson and Hayley Marshall. The only person that knows what it is to be a child of villains. I can see that she is filled with rage. She is the only one that knows what the darkness inside feels like, perhaps we can help each other quell the darkness in one another. Or what I believe to be more likely, drown in each other's darkness._

 _My name is Marek Morrow, and this journal idea is idiotic._

* * *

The moon was shining in the night sky, and Marek Morrow laid in the back seat of the car with his eyes closed listening to the wind blow past through the trees. He listened as Alaric Saltzman, the headmaster of the Salvatore School and Hope Mikaelson were discussing the upcoming student. It was a werewolf by the name of Rafael, and Marek was tagging along to see if Rafael was a Descendant of Fenrir or a Necos.

Marek had been searching for clues for two years, ever since he found out his origins. Two years ago, Marek tagged along with Hope to New Orleans. Originally, he was tagging along with her because the two had become friends of some sort. However, Hope's father noticed that Marek was not a typical kind of werewolf. Klaus had told him about a clan of wolves that he had heard stories of but assumed them to be a fairy tale. That was the beginning of Marek's search for answers.

"We're here, Marek. Get ready." Alaric said to the boy in the back. Alaric turned down the street sharply and came to an abrupt stop in front of the church.

"Been ready, Ric." Marek stepped out of the car and glanced at a boy sitting on the footsteps of the church. "Looks like we got an audience."

"Landon" Hope looked at the boy as if he was a dream from long ago.

"Hope" The boy replied with a confused look, at why she was there.

"You two know each other?" Alaric asked looking at the boy.

"Long story." Hope replied.

The sounds of yelling and glass shattering could be heard from the church. It was clear that something was going in the church that needed to be stopped.

"Ric." Marek motioned to the door. "Sounds like we need to get in there."

"Yeah, I'm on it." Alaric went to the door and attempted to open it. The door was locked with chains from the inside. "Doors are locked."

"Dissera Portus!" Hope said aloud motioning her hands in the air and the doors opened wide as if they were never locked. She turned to address the boy. "You're gonna want to stay out here, Landon, trust me."

As they entered the building they could see a boy writing in pain on the ground, and an exorcist speaking in Latin holding the cross. A man and a woman stood beside the boy holding out crosses as if to hold the boy down.

"Shut down the exorcist, would you?"

"Silencio." The exorcist's mouth disappeared, and he began to show fear in his eyes. He looked up to see Hope, Alaric, and Marek approaching them. "Ad somnum." The exorcist and the couple fell to the ground unconscious.

Marek, Hope, and Alaric quickly went to work as they nailed down stakes and chains preparing the boy for his transition. The boy's bones began to crack, and he pleaded for help. He was confused, and he wanted the pain to stop. The three watched on as the boy began to shift, his ears began to change, and his teeth began to sharpen. Soon enough the boy had shifted into a black werewolf, and he growled and bared his teeth at the three. The black wolf lunged forward, and the chains shifted just enough for him to move towards Hope. Marek quickly moved in front of the girl and let out a ferocious roar. The roar echoed throughout the church shattering the glass panes and stained glass windows. The wolf turned away whimpering in fear, it was clear to the wolf that Marek was not to be toyed with. Marek looked back at Hope and smirked, the girl simply rolled her eyes at the boy.

* * *

 _Salvatore School, Outside the Headmaster's Office_

"What's on your mind, Hope?" Marek looked at the girl inquisitively as she leaned against the wall deep in thought. The two of them had a friendship of sorts, and over the years at the Salvatore School they had relied on one another on occasion. Marek even visited New Orleans for a bit to help Hope deal with her family issues. Marek felt protective of the girl, she was the only one that he could relate to. Being the child of the villains, made people view you a certain way.

"Landon, I can't believe it's him. What are the chances that Landon Kirby shows up back in my life again? Last time I saw him, was 2 years ago when…" She stopped speaking and had a somber look appear on her face.

Marek placed his hand on her shoulder and looked her in the eyes. "I know. Time may have passed, but those wounds run deep. Eventually, they will heal."

Hope scoffed, "Maybe you should take your own advice sometime, Marek." She knew that Marek had been harboring a hatred for his parents since he was young.

Marek laughed, "I'm great at giving advice, but not at taking it. Hope, you know that no matter what happens. I got your back."

Hope smirked a little and turned away to head into Alaric's office, "Sounds like someone is getting soft."

"Not a chance, princess." Marek replied. "I'm going to check on our new wolf. I didn't get a chance to see if he was branded."

"Stay out of trouble, Marek."

"But trouble is so much fun, Hope." Marek laughed as he went off to find the Saltzman twins and Rafael.

* * *

Marek found the Saltzman twins with Rafael looking into a classroom explaining that the usual teacher had just recently had a run in with hellfire.

"Mare, you skip class again?" Josie turned to face Marek with a smile.

Of the two Saltzman twins, Josie was the one that Marek got along with. Marek only got along with three people at the Salvatore Scool; Josie, Hope, and Alaric. Marek kept to himself most of the time, and if anyone besides the three tried to get along with him usually ended up walking away bleeding.

Marek chuckled, "You going to tell the Headmaster on me, Josie?" He motioned to Rafael "I came by to check on the new wolf. You and Lizzie mind giving us a minute?"

"You going to turn him against witches?" Lizzie said with distaste in her voice. She turned to Rafael, "Marek here hates witches."

"I don't hate witches, Lizzie. I get along fine with Hope and your sister, two witches is enough for me."

Josie got in between the two of them. "Will you two stop fighting in front of the new guy?" Josie put her hands on Lizzie's shoulders and started moving her away. "You got 5 minutes, Mare. Any longer and then whatever Lizzie does is not my problem."

"Thanks, Josie. I'll make it quick." Marek turned to face Rafael, and he could see that Rafael was a little wary of him. Marek felt a little proud of that, he wanted everyone to feel wary of him. "I just want to know if you are part of my clan. Do you have scars on your back from claw marks? It would have been there all your life."

"No claw marks, I didn't even know werewolves and witches existed until a few hours ago." Rafael replied

"Alright, I just wanted to make sure." Marek began to walk away and was stopped by Rafael placing his hand on his shoulder.

"Look I don't know anything about what is happening to me. Do you mind me asking you a few questions?"

Marek grabbed Rafael's hand and began to dig his claws into Rafael's wrist. Rafael tried to pull away, but Marek's grip was too strong. "Let me make this clear. I don't care about you. I just wanted to make sure that you weren't a Necos. Be glad that you're not, or else I would have ripped out your spine." Marek released his grip and let Rafael go "Now run along, I'm sure the girls will be waiting for you. Oh, and keep quiet about this or I'll get upset. Is that clear?"

Rafael held his wrist and glared back at Marek, "Yeah, it's clear." Rafael walked away and left Marek in the hallway.

"That was a little harsh, don't you think Marek?" A voice said aloud as the sound of heels clicked against the hardwood floor. Marek's face twitched when he recognized the voice. He turned to see Mira Verati standing there with her hands on her hips. "You going to threaten me to keep quiet about this?"

"I don't need to threaten you, Mira. You do plenty of things you don't want people to know with Penelope. You'll keep quiet, like you always do. Now, if you don't mind, I would rather be anywhere else than talk to you."

Mira smirked as Marek walked away, "Just a matter of time now."

* * *

Marek leaned against the tree waiting for Hope and Alaric to finish training. Marek was deep in thought about Landon. Landon had been put away in a transition chamber until the vervain was out of his system. There was just something about the boy that rubbed Marek the wrong way. Perhaps it was because of his connection to Hope, or maybe it was something more.

Marek would protect Hope always, he made sure of that 2 years ago in New Orleans when he had a run in with the Necos. He began to think back to New Orleans, but was quickly knocked out of his trance when Hope threw a towel at his head. "I don't appreciate you throwing your sweaty towels at my head, princess." Marek threw the towel back at Hope, but she dodged it.

"You going to keep slacking off or are you going to train?" Hope said as she brought her fists up "Ric had to go take care of Lizzie, so looks like you're my punching bag now."

"Last time we trained together we were 13, and we both ended up in the infirmary for a week. You sure you want to do this?" Marek brought began to put his gloves on "Maybe we should set some ground rules. No vamping and witchcraft."

"Fine, then you're not allowed to partial shift." Hope replied "Now get ready."

"I don't need to shift to take you on, princess." Marek let out as the two began to spar.

Marek burst forward with a combination of a jab and a cross, but Hope blocked the punches with ease and began her counterattack. She attempted to sweep Marek's legs, but he had anticipated this and flipped over her and gave her a slight push in the back pushing her away. Hope quickly gained her footing and turned to face Marek who began to send a flurry of punches her way. Hope dodged the punches and saw her opening, she rushed Marek and brought him to the ground and was on top of him. He reacted and rolled her over so now he was on the top of her.

"Looks like I win, princess." Marek said with a smirk on his face. He noticed that Hope was smiling as if she won.

"Look at your hands, Marek."

Marek looked at his gloves and could see claws protruding. "Well would you look at that, looks like it's my loss this time. I'll get you next time." Marek helped Hope off the ground and noticed there was a leaf in her hair. He didn't even realize he was taking the leaf out of her hair, until Hope gave him a look. He moved his hand away, "Sorry, I don't know why I did that. Well after the beating you gave me, I'm going to lick my wounds. Later, princess."

Hope watched as Marek fled towards the dorms, and all she could think about was the boy's odd behavior. Alaric had lectured her about making more friends than just Marek. He didn't like that his two problem students got along so well. The two were friends out of necessity, being the children of villains made them feel as if only another damaged individual could understand them. She had noticed that Marek had been acting odd after New Orleans. Their friendship had grown from one born out of necessity to an actual friendship. She always wondered what caused the sudden shift, but she was dealing with her own issues. She hasn't fully finished dealing with everything.

* * *

Marek entered his room and went straight to his desk. He looked at the leather bound journal that Alaric had given to him when he was 15 years old. It was an idiotic thing for him to write in the journal, but on occasion it gave him some comfort. He picked up the journal and thought about writing inside of it. He shook his head and threw the journal inside of the trash.

"Writing in a journal won't do me any good." Marek let out and placed his head in his hands. He thought back to New Orleans and everything that went down with the Necos. He hated his pack ever since his parents abandoned him at the Salvatore School. They chose the pack over him, and he hoped they were dead.

He thought about the Vow he made in New Orleans. The Vow for Hope Mikaelson. He thought about the words that he spoke that night.

 _I am Marek Morrow, Descendant of Fenrir and I make this solemn vow._

 _I vow to protect Hope Mikaelson_

 _I vow to live for Hope Mikaelson_

 _I vow to kill for Hope Mikaelson_

 _I vow to die for Hope Mikaelson_

 _This I swear, this I vow._

He had no choice. He had to make the Vow. It was the only way to protect Hope from the Necos. Marek didn't realize it at first, but ever since the Vow his feelings for Hope had changed. The Vow connected them, and Marek didn't realize how much the Vow would change him. He had only read about the ritual in a journal about Descendants, but it changed him.

"Are these feelings real or are they because of the ritual?"

* * *

 **A/N: Thank you all for the favorites, follows, and reviews. It is much appreciated.**


	2. Chapter 2

**AN: If it feels like this jumped, most likely it did. I incorrectly updated this story, but everything should be fine now. The continuation of the teaser chapter has been added to that part. Thanks for the support, and enjoy!**

* * *

 **CHAPTER 2**

The woods were teeming with noise and the air smelt of alcohol. The students of the Salvatore School were having a party, one where they could be who they were in the open. Witches casting spells, vampires drinking blood bags, and werewolves doing parkour. The Salvatore School offered them a place to feel safe, and they were for a while. Something is coming, and this haven can only protect them for so long.

Mira Verati was sipping her drink from a red solo cup, vaguely listening to Penelope talk about ways to mess with Josie. Mira was in thought about events that were upcoming, and things were proceeding as she wished.

Penelope snapped her fingers in front of Mira's face, "Are you listening to me, Mira?"

"Sorry, Pen. I just have a lot on my mind. What were you saying?" Mira replied as she was thinking how annoying people her age were.

"I was asking you, what do you think I should do to mess with Josie?"

Mira looked over to see Josie and Mg talking to one another. Mira smiled as a plan began to emerge in her mind, "How do you feel about kissing your ex's vampire friend? I'll make sure that Josie catches the two of you."

Penelope looked at Mira and gave a smirk, "You're evil, and I love it."

Mira's phone rang, and she looked at the message she had just received, "I'll be back Pen. I have to go take care of some business real quick."

"That secret friend of yours again?" Mira gave Penelope a look that made her shut up "I can keep a secret, Mira."

"I know you can, Pen. That's why we get along so well. If you couldn't then we'd have an issue." Mira started to walk away and turned back "Don't start the fun without me. I want to see Josie's face when it all goes down."

Mira was waiting in the woods for her contact. She did not enjoy being summoned when she was making her plans, and especially by him. "Are you going to keep me waiting, Astaros?" Mira looked up into the tree to see him standing on a branch looking down at her. "You're the one who called this meeting. If you have something to say, then maybe you should get on with it already."

Astaros jumped down from the branch in front of Mira, "You should speak to me with more respect, Verati. I'm not one of your bitches."

Mira rolled up her sleeve to show a tattoo going around her arm, "Last time I checked, this made me the leader of our pack. Just because I'm undercover doesn't mean that you're in charge." Mira moved towards Astaros and grabbed his throat, "Do I make myself clear, Alistair Astaros?"

Alistair grabbed Mira's wrist and removed her hand from his throat, "You're in charge, for now. I'm here to deliver a message. They're getting impatient, and they want results. They grow tired of your plans and games."

"Maybe you should remind them, that my plans and games result in victories. They wouldn't have Tyr and Sophie without my family's aid. The Dux clan would still be trying to split from the Necos. We wouldn't have a lead on the last Descendant without me, or a link to the Tri-brid. Remind them that, Alistair."

"I'll be sure to pass the message along, Mira." Alistair said smugly "If you fail, they will end the Necos. Not just the Verati clan, but the Astaros as well. Don't make them wait too long, Mira. Or we will face the same fate as the Dux clan."

"Goodbye, Alistair." Mira headed back to the party and she began to think. She would have to move up her time table.

* * *

Marek looked out his window to the woods to see the fires and he could hear the students talking and having fun with one another. Sometimes he found himself wanting to belong, but he knew that belonging was just a fairy tale for someone like him. He was the child of monsters. In the end, when he took off the mask that he puts on for others, he is still a monster.

Hope Mikaelson was never far from Marek's thoughts, and he struggled with that. The two had faced so much together in New Orleans. He had assisted the Mikaelson family with their final battle while fighting his own battle with the Necos. However, he never had feelings for the girl until he made the Vow. This was something that ate him on occasion, but whenever Hope was around him those doubts disappeared.

A knock shook Marek from his thoughts, and he looked toward the door to his room. "Marek? Can I come in?" The girl, the girl that was always on Marek's mind. Marek went to the door to let Hope in.

"What's on your mind, princess?" Marek asked the girl. After growing up together since they were kids, Marek knew when there was something on Hope's mind. "Let me guess, Landon?" While Marek did not like the boy, he knew Landon represented something to Hope.

"Yeah, it's just. I don't know what to do about it." She sighed

"Maybe you should talk to him." Marek let out and felt a tinge of regret. He wanted to say let Landon leave, but he knew that Hope's happiness meant more than just his feelings. Marek would always put Hope first, despite the pain that it caused him.

"You really think I should talk to him?" Hope asked looking at Marek's face for his response. She knew that while Marek may say one thing, he meant another. She could always tell when he wasn't being completely honest with her, but she let it slide because she knew that Marek did not like confronting feelings of any kind.

Marek looked at Hope and could see her trying to read his expressions. It's something that he had noticed that she would do whenever they would talk. On occasion he found himself falling for the look, but this time he would have to push thru it and do what was best for her. After all she shouldn't have to know that a monster like himself, felt the way he does. "I think that you should go on a run. That always gives you some clarity."

Hope stood up and made her way to the door, "You know Marek, sometimes I wish that you would tell me what's on your mind. After everything that went down in New Orleans, I thought we would be honest with each other." Hope waved her hand and the door to Marek's room slammed.

"That went well." Marek let out as he flopped onto his bed. "Believe me Hope, it's better this way."

* * *

Mira was leaning against the wall outside of the kitchen as Penelope was working her magic on Mg. She was in thought about what Alistair had said to her, and she was going thru the motions in her mind on how to make Marek and Hope trust her. As it was right now, Marek hated her guts and Hope was as warm and fuzzy as she was with everyone. Mira needed some insight on Marek and Hope, she would have to do some recon.

But for now, she had to help Penelope mess with Josie. Mira had stolen Mg's phone when he wasn't paying attention and texted Josie to meet in the kitchen. Mira smiled at Josie, "Hey Josie! You here to join the party?"

"Party?" Josie let out "I'm just here because Mg texted me."

Mira put her arm around Josie, and she let her into the kitchen. The two were greeted with the sight of Penelope and Mg making out with one another. "Penelope and I were thinking about having a party with Mg, and I figured you'd want to join in."

Josie didn't say anything, and she was hurt at the sight that she saw. She quickly left the room and Mg began to follow her, but Mira grabbed his arm. Mira handed him his phone, "Don't want to lose this vamp." She let go of his arm and he went to chase after Josie. "I don't think he'll catch up to her." Mira said as she looked at Penelope "Satisfied?"

"A little." Penelope smirked at Mira "Everything alright with you? You seemed off after your secret meeting."

"Just didn't go as planned. I'll take care of it though." Mira replied "Now let's get back to the party."

* * *

Smoke was rising from the bus, and the smell of burnt flesh was in the air. Mystic Falls PD was surrounding the bus and making sure no one came near. Marek stood in the middle of the bus looking at the scene in front of him. Marek had done things in the past, but he never involved innocents in his battles. Landon Kirby, the boy responsible for all this death and destruction. Marek could see in Hope's eyes that something had changed in her, after seeing this display of death. He could feel her anger rising within her, and he felt the same. He should have never pushed Hope towards Landon, he should have trusted his instincts that the boy could not be trusted. Now, it was time for Marek to right his wrong.


	3. Chapter 3

**CHAPTER 3**

Marek was sitting outside the school's therapist office waiting for his turn. Alaric had made it mandatory for Marek and Hope to talk to the school's therapist regularly. He hated talking to the therapist, most of the times it was Ms. Tig trying to get Marek to confront his feelings. Marek didn't like confronting his feelings in any regard.

As soon as this session was over, Marek was going to hunt Landon down and tear out his spine. The boy had made Hope drop down her walls and hurt her in the process. That was something that Marek could not forgive. He pushed her towards him, he thought the boy would have been good for Hope. He should have just trusted his instincts.

The door to the office opened, and Hope walked out. She gave Marek a look and walked away. Marek had to admit that it stung a bit to see Hope upset with him. Their last conversation did not go so well, and on top of that Landon had betrayed her trust.

"Marek, please come in." Ms. Tig called out to Marek.

Marek made his way into the office and sat down in the chair across from Ms. Tig. He began to look out the window and prepared to ignore Ms. Tig's questions. He prepared for the normal questions of asking how he was feeling and is he making any friends. However, Ms. Tig's question caused Marek to react.

"Is everything alright between you and Hope?" She asked hoping to get a reaction out of Marek. She could see that he was uncomfortable with the question and began to probe a little more. "I noticed that look that she gave you as she left. Did you guys have a fight? Hard to believe, you two never fight with one another."

"It's none of your business." Marek replied, and he began to get a little frustrated. Marek avoided all questions about himself and Hope whenever they came up. On occasion, Josie would ask about the two of them and he would reply with questions about Penelope and the conversation quickly ended.

"You know, Marek. That's the first thing you've said to me in all our sessions. I've asked you about your parents, and you didn't react. But when I bring up Hope, you react instantly. I can tell that you care about the girl, but I don't know what happened in the past. How can I help you get thru this, if you don't start to talk to me?"

"I don't need your help. What good will talking about my feelings do? You think talking about my fight with Hope will help me? Or how I just want to rip Landon's spine from his body because of what he did to her. I'm better alone than with people."

"That's where you're wrong Marek. Everyone needs someone. You're a werewolf, it's part of who you are to have a pack. Have you ever heard of a lone wolf?"

"I'm done talking about this." Marek stood from his chair and slammed the door to the office.

Ms. Tig began to write in Marek's file and placed the file in the locked cabinet with the rest of her student's files. The cabinet was protected with a lock and magic in order to protect her student's personal thoughts.

Ms. Tig turned around to see Mira Verati standing in the doorway to her office, "Ms. Tig, are you ready for my session?"

"Of course, Mira. Please sit down." She motioned to the chair for Mira to sit down. Unbeknownst to her that Mira was eyeing the cabinet as she was smiling.

* * *

Marek stood outside the doorway to Hope's room and thought about what he was going to say to her. He had no clue on what to say to her. All he could think about right now was revenge on Landon, but these feelings kept creeping their way back into his heart. He has tried to fight them for so long, but every time he thinks he gets rid of them they keep coming back stronger.

Marek knocked on the door, and Hope answered and took one look at the boy "I don't have time for this." She began to close the door, but Marek stopped her.

"We need to talk Hope." Marek pushed himself into her room.

"What do you think you're doing Marek?" Hope said as she crossed her arms "We don't have time for this. Landon needs to be found."

"I know. I just…" Marek began but could not find the words that he wanted to say. So, he settled on the first thing that came to mind. "Are we ok?"

"Are we ok? What does that even mean, Marek?"

"Are you still mad at me, Hope? Our last conversation ended with you leaving and slamming the door behind you. I just want to know…" Marek's eyes went to the book on Hope's nightstand, he noticed that there was a page ripped out. Marek recognized the book, Hope had showed it to him before. "That book, the page that's missing. You're planning on killing Landon?"

"I don't know what you're talking about Marek. But you need to leave now."

"Hope, you've shown me this book before. I remember the spell that was on this page. You're planning on using dark magic to kill Landon." Before the Vow, Marek would have been ecstatic at the thought of Hope using dark magic to kill someone. The Vow changed his perception of Hope, and after everything that went down in New Orleans, he wouldn't let Hope kill someone. It would eat away at her. "I won't let you do this Hope."

"Let me." Hope got in Marek's face "I don't need your permission to do anything Marek. I don't need a protector, I can protect myself."

"I'll stop you, Hope."

"I don't think you will, Marek." Hope began to use her magic on Marek, and he began to writhe in pain.

Marek fell to the ground and looked up at Hope, "Don't do this, Hope."

Hope kicked Marek in the head knocking him out. She made her way to the door and looked back at her friend on the ground. "I'm sorry. This is just something I have to do."

* * *

Mira Verati was sitting on a tree branch outside of the school watching people go about their day. She learned at a young age to pay attention to everything that goes around you. Knowledge is power, that was the lesson instilled in her by her parents and the Verati Clan.

The Verati Clan was just one of the three clans that made up the Necos. It was also the weakest of the three clans. There had never been a Verati at the head of the Necos, until her. She would do everything she could to make sure that the Astaros and the Dux Clan stayed beneath her heel.

A jet-black raven with piercing blue eyes flapped its wings and landed next to Mira. She stared at it for a bit and then began to speak to the bird. "Hello, Claire. I see you got my message. You got a new familiar as well."

A soft pitched voice came from the raven, "Mira it's been so long since I've seen you. You've been undercover for what seems like forever. I miss you a lot." While the voice was soft it spoke with an excited tone.

"Calm down, Claire. I need your help. I need you to break a spell and then recast it after I'm done getting all the information that I need."

"That's it? I thought you called me for something difficult. How boring."

"I'll let you play with the prisoner if you do this for me, Claire."

The voice became giddy with excitement, "Really? I love playing with the prisoner. Alright, Mira. Let's go get you that info. I want as much playtime with the prisoner as possible."

Mira sighed, "Just don't kill her. We may need her in the future. Your playthings tend to break, Claire."

"It's not my fault that they're not sturdy, Mira."

* * *

Darkness surrounded Marek as he stood in an empty room void of color and sound. He tried to call out, but no sound came. He began to walk. Where he did not know, but he could feel something drawing him forward. He thought about how Hope had just knocked him out, and he didn't know how to feel.

Marek was in constant battle with his emotions. He never learned how to express them or deal with them. They got worse when he turned 13, and the situation worsened when he took the Vow. He often thought to himself, what he could do. Should he have not taken the Vow? If he hadn't the New Orleans situation would have ended up far worse than it was.

Marek stopped in his tracks as he heard wind begin to blow around him. He could hear something in the wind. It was a wolf growling, but it was different than any other growl that he had heard before. It seemed to encompass all the darkness surrounding him, he could feel the guttural growl within his body. The growl shook him, which was not something that happened often. Marek had only been shaken to his core, once before two years ago.

The growl continued, and Marek could feel as if was speaking to him. While the growl shook him, it seemed familiar. It was as if it was something from long ago, and it wanted something.

The growl then began to become clear, a voice spoke out. "Wake up, child."

Marek's eyes fluttered open at the voice's command. He looked around trying to gather himself. He grabbed his head and groaned, "That was not fun." Marek stood up and hoped that he could catch up with Hope. He had to stop her from killing Landon, and he would do anything to protect her. Even from herself.


	4. Chapter 4

**CHAPTER 4**

Mira was in her room combing through the pictures of Ms. Tig's files on Marek and Hope. She was trying to get a better grasp of their relationship with each other, so she could exploit it. If there's one thing that Mira excelled at it was manipulation. She had been doing it all her life, and she enjoyed it.

"Marek's Vow to Hope is having the desired effect. He's becoming unstable, and that will make things that much easier for the ritual. To think that he was so easy to fool into taking the Vow. I suppose I have you to thank for that, Claire." Mira's eyes looked over to the raven sitting on the window sill.

"I'm just glad I could help, Mira. Now I get to have play time with the prisoner." Claire replied as she spoke through her raven. "It's always fun to make trouble for the Descendants of Fenrir. After everything they've done to my family, I would mess with them just for fun."

"Well I'll make sure you get plenty of play time with Marek, once we take him. After you're done playing with the prisoner, make sure to get his room ready."

Claire's raven evaporated into black smoke leaving Mira alone with her thoughts.

 _Marek seems to be fighting the Vow, and it is causing him stress. I need him to embrace the Vow, it is the only way to ensure that there is a link to Hope. Once he embraces the Vow, all we must do is wait for him to show his klironomiá. We'll need to make sure preparations are complete, once he shows signs of his klironomiá. I was hoping the Vow would make him manifest, but it only gave him access to his Necos side. He needs to feel more. The more he feels, the likelier it will be that his abilities will manifest. They are getting impatient, and the last time they got impatient they killed off 3 clans._

* * *

Marek ran to the school garage and he could see that Alaric's car was gone. Hope had left with him to chase after Landon, and now they had a head start. Marek could feel something was off, he had a pit in his stomach. It felt like something building up inside of him, and it was going to explode. He had only felt like this several times, and it always meant the same thing. Hope was in danger.

He needed to do something, but there was no way that he was going to catch up. He looked at the vehicles in the garage, none of them were going to be fast enough. The feeling began to grow more and more, and it started to become unbearable. Marek could feel something happening inside of himself, and he knew that he needed to be as far away from people as possible.

Marek had made his way to the middle of the woods, and he was afraid. His nails began to sharpen, and hair began to grow all over his body. This change was different than his normal transition. This change felt darker and more powerful.

Marek fell to the ground as his bones began to break. He felt everything, he could feel all the ligaments tearing inside of him. Every pain receptor in his body was firing and all he could do was try to push through it. He began to claw at his own flesh, leaving a pile of bloody skin on the ground. He tried to push through, but eventually he succumbed to the pain and he blacked out.

In the middle of the forest, stood a wolf unlike any other. Fur as black as the night sky and piercing green eyes that could shake a man to his soul. His fangs protruded from his mouth, and it was as if blood dripped from them. The wolf was immense, he could not move without brushing against a tree knocking it down. The sound of his steps echoed throughout the forest, and his howl. His howl could shake the Earth to its very core.

* * *

Mira sat on the bleachers next to Penelope watching the Salvatore Stallions lose to the Mystic Falls Timberwolves. "Why am I here, Pen?

"Because if I have to suffer through this then you do to, Mira."

"I hate you so much." Mira said as she pushed Penelope a little jokingly.

"Love you to." Penelope replied laughing.

Mira had to admit, that the only thing that she truly enjoyed about the Salvatore School was Penelope. The girl reminded Mira of herself, back when she had a little more innocence. The girl had potential to do so much more with her abilities, if she let the darkness in a little bit. Mira often thought of corrupting the girl, but she quickly decided against it. She wouldn't force Penelope down the path of darkness. She liked the girl quite a bit, and she knew what being forced down that path felt like. While Mira thrived in the darkness, she wouldn't wish it upon someone she cared about.

* * *

Hope stood with dagger in hand, and the death spell in the other. She looked upwards at the dragon and began to chant. The dragon began to round and began to dive towards Hope. Hope began to chant louder and quicker as the dragon approached. A bright light flashed and knocked the girl to the ground, along with the dragon who was now writhing on the ground in human form in pain.

Hope stood above the dragon with the knife raised high. The dragon reached out for the knife as if begging to the girl to give it to her.

"Where did you come from? Why do you want this so badly? What's so special about it?" Hope questioned. She wanted some answers, and it hurt her to see the dragon in pain that she had caused. She didn't think that it would feel like this. "Say something!" She pleaded to the dragon, hoping for a reason behind everything that had just happened. Hope was wavering, she didn't want to kill the dragon and she was shaking.

The dragon turned its face away and its eyes glowed, preparing to unleash a wave of fire on the girl.

Suddenly, a roar pierced the air causing the wind to stir all around the woods. Massive thumps began to shake the earth, as the sounds of something approaching became clearer. Hope's eyes widened to see a massive black wolf with green eyes standing before her. The wolf growled, and she took a step back, as the wolf bared its teeth. The wolf was close to the size of a truck and she could feel the immense magical power emanating from the wolf. The wolf jumped in front of Hope, knocking her away as the dragon unleashed its wave of fire. The wolf let out a yelp as the fire started to burn its hindleg. It then turned towards the dragon and began to bite the dragon. It snapped its powerful jaws shut on the dragon, leaving nothing but a limp body.

"Why? Why did you save me?" Hope asked the wolf as it turned towards her. Nothing made sense anymore, giant wolves and dragons weren't supposed to be real. She needed something to make sense. "Who are you?"

The wolf stared at the girl with its green eyes, and Hope felt something familiar in the look. It was as if the wolf was speaking to her without words.

"What the hell?" Hope turned to see Alaric looking at the wolf in shock behind her. The wolf then turned away from the two and ran away. The sounds of its footsteps growing further and further away.

The wolf ran further and further away from Hope and Alaric, until it arrived in the woods near the school. Its fur began to fall, and its body began to shrink. The fangs retracted, and the claws returned to normal hands. Soon after, all that was left was an unconscious Marek in the middle of the woods.

* * *

Mira stood above the unconscious body of Marek in the woods and smiled. The time that she waited for was approaching, all she had to do was make sure all the preparations were complete. "Your time is coming."

* * *

 **A/N: Thank you all for the support. Hope you enjoy! I plan to update weekly, as of right now I am splitting episodes in half. I would like to know if all of you prefer this, or would you like me to create longer chapters?**


	5. Chapter 5

**CHAPTER 5**

 _Why is my head thrashing? It feels like my body went through a meat grinder. What happened?_

Marek's eyes fluttered open and he began to try to get a grasp of his surroundings. He was shocked to see that he was in his bed, even more shocked to see Mira sitting in a chair sleeping. Marek tried to sit up, but pain shot through his body causing him to groan waking Mira up.

"You know you really shouldn't lie naked in the woods, Marek." Mira stood up from the chair and sat down at the foot of Marek's bed. "It was difficult making sure no one saw me carrying you back to your room."

"Why?" Marek glared at Mira "You never do anything without getting something in return."

"You're not wrong. Look I want to start over. It would be nice if we could be friends." Mira replied

"Not happening."

"Look, Marek. You and I are the only wolves in this school that aren't part of Jed's pack. I may have heard Ms. Tig telling you about not being a lone wolf. She tells me the same thing. When I got here, we may have got off to a rocky start." Mira moved closer to Marek and grabbed his hand. "I just want to make amends. I'll prove it."

Marek could feel his pain subsiding, he could see waves of energy exiting his body and into Mira's. He watched Mira's face twitch in pain as the final wave entered her body. "How did you?"

"A gift of sorts. I used to belong to a pack of wolves that were pacifists. They also believed that they should do what they could to help every species. Supernatural or natural. They were a nomadic tribe, and healed people wherever they went. They were called The Voítheia."

"Voítheia, aid. I heard that they were wiped out."

"They were." Mira stood up and turned away from Marek. Tears began to fill her eyes. "They were killed by a pack called the Necos. Everyone that I cared about died and just so the Necos could take their power. I hate the Necos." Mira wiped the tears away from her eyes "I'm sorry. I shouldn't be telling you all of this. If you don't want anything to do with me, then I'll just leave." Mira started to walk towards the door, but Marek stood up and grabbed her arm.

Marek couldn't believe it. Someone that knew what he was going through. Someone that shared his hatred of the Necos. "We can start over. I can't promise that I'll be the best of company, but I'll work on it."

Mira quickly turned around and hugged Marek. He was shocked and wrapped his arms around the girl slowly. What Marek couldn't see was that Mira had a grin spread across her face.

"Thank you, Marek. I should probably head to class now." Mira waved Marek goodbye and left his room.

* * *

As Mira walked out of Marek's room, she passed Hope heading towards Marek's room. She grinned a little as she caught a look from Hope as the two passed.

 _Don't worry Mikaelson. He's all yours._ Mira thought to herself. The plan was moving forward, and she had sown the seeds with Marek. All she had to do was water them and soon it would be time.

Mira had to contact Claire to give her an update. Mira made her way to her room and made sure to lock the door, so she would not get interrupted. She then took a knife and sliced her hand. She drew a circle with 3 horns protruding from it on her mirror. "Claire, I have an update."

The mirror began to ripple as if a portal had been opened. A blonde girl with green eyes, dressed in a Salvatore School outfit stepped out of the mirror. "Mira, I missed you."

"Claire?" Mira asked as she didn't recognize the girl that had stepped out of the portal. "What's going on? Why are you dressed in that uniform and what's with the new look?"

"Well I got bored playing with the prisoners, so I thought I'd come visit you. I took this girl's body from the freshman class. She was a loner and kept to herself, so nobody will miss her." Claire looked at herself in the mirror and started making poses as she was trying to get used to her new body. "She screamed a lot when I was peeling her flesh off her. She would just not stop screaming."

"Look Claire I'm happy to see you, but you're my eyes and ears back home. What made you think it would be a good idea to come here?" Mira said a little annoyed at the girl.

"My father told me to." Mira's composure dropped a little when she heard that. Claire moved towards Mira and poked at her face. "I know that's not what you wanted to hear. But he's getting impatient, and he's agitating the rest of the Legion."

"What have they been saying?"

"Your parents promised to have the Necos under control, they promised Fenrir's power. That was years ago, and your parents died fighting against the Dux and Tyl. Your parents were able to capture Sophie, and wound Tyl."

"You're forgetting that I had a part in that." Mira growled a little. Mira never let her anger get a hold of her, but on occasion it slipped. She was doing everything the Legion wanted, but they wanted it done quickly. "You'd think the Legion would be more patient after living for centuries."

"They're tired of being patient, Mira. The only reason that they've let you slide this long is because of me." Claire gave Mira a peck on the lips "They said you have a month, or the Legion is going to cleanse the Necos completely. That's why I'm here, to help you. I would like to keep you alive, after all I've grown quite fond of you."

Mira sighed and looked at Claire moving towards the girl and encompassing her in a hug "I can make a month work. It'll be pushing it close, but Marek awoke his klironomiá last night. He doesn't have full access to his abilities because Tyl is still alive."

"I wouldn't worry about that, Mira. Alistair while he may be a dumb brute, excels at killing. I sent all of the Astaros clan after Tyl before I left to see you."

"Why Alistair?"

"Because if he fails, that's one less person to annoy you. If he succeeds, then it'll help your plan even more. I made sure to have a fail-safe, just in case. I sent Kiren along with Alistair to make sure the job gets done."

"Kiren. I almost feel sorry for Tyl." Mira smirked as she looked at Claire.

"Now show me around." Claire smiled as she grabbed Mira's hand and the two left Mira's room.

* * *

Marek started to head back towards his bed. Even after Mira's healing, he still needed to rest. He couldn't remember anything that happened after he went to the woods. Then a realization hit him, was Hope alright? He had to know, and he turned to leave his room to see Hope standing in the doorway with her arms crossed.

"I was just about to go looking for you." Marek said as he moved towards the girl "I'm glad you're alright. What happened?"

"Well I was coming to apologize to you but seems like you were preoccupied with Mira." Hope began to turn away, but Marek pulled the girl towards him into a hug.

"I was so worried about you." Marek felt the girl reluctantly return the hug to him. "Mira and I were just talking. She wanted to talk about becoming a pack separate from Jed's. I'll tell you more later." Marek released the hug and looked at Hope "Are you ok? Tell me what happened."

Hope began to regale Marek of the events that had partaken, and he was shocked to hear that dragons and giant wolves existed. She told him everything that happened, and she stopped. "You were right. I let my anger get a hold of me, and I almost did something that I regretted. I shouldn't have knocked you out, and I'm sorry."

"Well I wasn't a fan of being knocked out, but I forgive you. I know what it's like to have your anger take a hold of you. It makes you feel like a different person, but I do know one thing Hope." Marek grabbed hold of Hope's hand "You're a good person."

Marek used his other hand to wipe the tears that were beginning to form in Hope's eyes. The two looked at each other for what was just a moment, but to them it seemed like forever. Hope closed her eyes and leaned toward Marek. Time seemed to slow to a crawl as Marek began to feel himself drawn to Hope even more. He began to believe that he could be happy with her, that the two could be good people together. But then he thought about everything that was to come, and everything that had passed. He felt that he didn't deserve happiness with Hope.

 _I want this. I want this more than anything in the world. I thought it was because of the Vow, but that was just an excuse. I love Hope Mikaelson but being with her in that way means putting her in danger of my past. I will always be there for her, even though my heart will break. My past, my future, all that I am is a monster. Monsters like me, don't deserve to be happy._

Marek moved forward and brought his lips to the girl's forehead. He could tell that Hope was expecting something more, but he couldn't allow himself to be happy for once. He had to make sure his past didn't come back to haunt him. He had to make sure being with him, didn't mean putting her in danger.

"Hope, I care about you. But we can't be together not in the way that you want." Marek let out reluctantly as he saw the girl turn away from him. The girl stood up and quickly left Marek's room. He wanted to call out to her, but maybe a little time without him would be better.

* * *

"So, tell me Mira. Which of these lovely people can I play with?" Claire twirled around the common room looking at all the students. Much like Mira, Claire loved to manipulate people. Although Claire's manipulation usually led to never ending torture because she became attached to those she played with.

"No one." Mira pulled Claire close to her, so nobody could listen into their conversation "You need to behave. We are not in our territory, where you can do as you please."

Claire gave Mira a peck on the nose, "I'm just messing with you. I'll behave. Plus, I made sure to have plenty of playtime with the prisoners before I came here." Claire's eyes darted over to Penelope who was approaching them "She's cute."

Mira watched as Claire's eyes glinted with a hint of curiosity. Mira knew that once Claire set her eyes on someone, more than most that someone would end up becoming her plaything. "Claire, remember to behave." Mira turned to face Penelope "Pen, I was just about to come find you."

"Who's this Mira?" Penelope motioned to Claire

"My name's Claire. Me and Mira go way back. Well I should get to my first class. I'll talk to you later, Mira." Claire gave Mira a peck on the cheek and went on her way

"So that's new." Penelope said as she watched Claire skip away.

"Yeah, I don't want to talk about it."

"Well the Headmaster is sending all the people who were at the game to go do community service in town. I am sick if anybody asks."

"So, you get to play sick, and I have to go pick up trash."

"Yup. You should drag your new girlfriend. Maybe you can torture the Saltzmans and everyone's favorite tri-brid while you're there."

"It is my favorite pastime. I suppose I can pick up trash, only for today though." Mira replied as she thought how to get closer to Hope. Hope had never liked her much, but perhaps Claire would have better luck getting close to the girl. The two could bond over being witches. Hopefully, just not too much. "Feel better, Pen. I'll make sure to torture Lizzie for you."

* * *

"Wait. Why do I have to do community service?" Marek asked Alaric as he was ordered to the office along with Hope and the Saltzman twins.

"You went missing for the entire school day and missed your session with Ms. Tig. Those are mandatory. That's why you're going to go into town and pick up trash. The bus leaves in 10 minutes and I expect all four of you to be on it. Working together, harmoniously and without drama. End of debate."

"I wasn't even at the game. Why am I being punished?" Hope said with agitation in her voice

"You know what you did." Alaric replied, "Now get going."

Marek looked over to Hope who was avoiding his gaze. "Well this is going to be great." Marek left the room with Josie and Lizzie. Hope stayed back to voice her displeasure to Alaric once again.

"Mare, what was that look that Hope gave you?" Josie asked walking next to Marek while trying to avoid talking to her sister, after she threw her under the bus.

"We're not on the best of terms right now. I think that when we get to town, I should probably just give her some space."

"What happened?" Josie always the caring friend and fixer. She always made it her goal to help Marek when the boy let her in.

"This isn't something that can be fixed easily." Marek placed his hands on the girl's shoulders and looked her in the eyes "I appreciate it Josie but let this one go." Marek walked away and headed to the backseat of the bus.

* * *

Mira sat in the backseat of the bus and waved Marek down as she saw him enter the bus. Claire was sitting in the front of the bus, waiting for Hope to get on board so she could get to know the girl.

Marek plopped down in the seat next to Mira and let out a hefty sigh. "I do not want to be here. Why are you here?"

"Well I was at the game with Penelope and I may have missed a couple of classes to help you out."

"Sorry about that."

Mira waved her hands, "Nothing to worry about. I'm passing with flying colors. Plus, we're…" Mira stopped for a bit and looked at Marek "Not friends yet, acquaintances?"

"Sure, let's go with that for now." Marek looked at the girl and smirked. The girl was different than he originally thought, perhaps it was his hatred of his own kind that turned himself against the girl. Marek's eyes darted to the entrance of the bus to see Hope walking in. She looked back at Marek and sat down in the very front next to a blonde girl as far away from his as possible.

"There's a story there." Mira said as she motioned to Hope "You two have a fight? For as long as I've been coming to this school, the two of you have been as thick as thieves."

"I don't want to talk about it."

"I can respect that, Marek. But we did say that we were going to start over. I shared my past with you, if you want, I'll listen."

"You're right. I think that you're the only one that will truly understand what I'm going through." Marek let out.

Marek began to tell Mira about the Necos and his past with them, and how he worried that eventually they would come for him. How pushing Hope away would save her from the Necos if they were to come. The Necos were known for their unrelenting fury and they knew how to exploit weaknesses.

* * *

 _Keep talking, Marek. I'm listening to every single word. I'll be your friend, I'll be your confidant. When all is said and done, I'll take you. I'll take Hope, and you'll be mine. One month, you won't even see it coming._

* * *

 **A/N: Thank you all for the support that this story has garnered. I hope you enjoyed this chapter of The Creature Within. I will make my chapters longer than those previous, as it has been mentioned by some to increase the length. Thank you for your feedback, it is appreciated. I ended here, because I felt that this would be a good point to end on and then continue into the next chapter. Once again, thank you. You are all appreciated!**


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